


you taste like coffee

by belleswaffles



Category: Original Work
Genre: Coffee Shops, F/F, Seizures, Service Dogs, Slightly Inaccurate Medical Talk, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, meet ugly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2020-10-14 09:33:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20598563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belleswaffles/pseuds/belleswaffles
Summary: good ole' coffee shop story with a soulmates thrown in!





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Kaye shuffles her way into Caffeinated Fumes after a forty-eight hour shift at the hospital; and man, is she tired. Being the Head of the Trauma Department was messing with her sleep cycle, and she needs her sleep damn it! She yawns as she makes her way to stand in line.

The usual six girls aren’t behind the counter, instead it’s just three girls, and two she’s never seen before and she’s been coming to Caffeinated Fumes for months now. She nods at Hanna behind the counter. She frowns as she looks around the café for the remaining three girls, but comes up short when she doesn’t see them. She knows that the owner, Bean, as her employees fondly call her, always keeps six girls on staff due to The Incident Hanna always claims it with a shudder. She eyes the frankly large German shepherd service dog lying on the massive dog bed in the corner who is tracking one of the baristas.

Kaye swivels to see which barista is in his sights and… hello Treasure, Kaye automatically names the girl in her head. Treasure can’t be more than five-two, if she’s even that tall, she’s so tiny. Her honey blonde curls are piled on top of her head, and, Kaye fans herself, she has tattoos.

She gives herself a quick once-over, suddenly glad that she took a quick shower, and changed into fresh clothes before leaving the hospital. Kaye’s eyes keep straying up the curls, which are just dying for Kaye to run her fingers through.

A flash of irritation cuts off any more warm thoughts Kaye is having as she realizes she hasn’t moved in the last five minutes. The guy in front of her hasn’t moved a muscle from where he is in front of the cash register, and she can feel her eye beginning twitch the longer she’s deprived of coffee.

“Look here cretino, you’re about ten seconds away from me picking out something for you, you’re holding up my line!” The barista snaps with a nametag that names her TJ.

“Y-y-you can’t talk to me like that!” The guy splutters.

“I can and I did, and look at you still holding up my line,” TJ says back. 

“You can’t- I want to talk to your manager!” The guy yells.

Kaye rolls her eyes up the to the sky, and she can hear the people behind her in line sigh in resignation.

“I can do you one better, I’m the GM. Now are you going to order something?”

“Fine! I want to talk to the owner! And I’m not moving until I talk to him!” The guy yells.

Now Kaye really does let out a groan, and so do the people behind her. Son of a bitch, there’s always one.

TJ flashes the guy a shark-like smile before she hollers, “Oh Bean! Someone wants to talk to the owner!”

Kaye turns her head to the direction the barista is looking and is surprised to see Treasure looking back at TJ with a frown on her face.

Treasure is the infamous Bean? Kaye thinks to herself.

“Are you serious right now Teddy?” Treasure asks. “Saya tidak punya waktu untuk omong kosong ini.” Treasure snaps in Malaysian?

“Hey, he wants the owner. I’m just a lowly employee,” TJ sasses.

Treasure visibly rolls her eyes at the guy and continues muttering in her native tongue until she’s standing next to TJ. The grin Treasure places on her face is the fakest and cruelest thing Kaye’s ever seen, “How can I help you sir.” Treasure spits out sir like it’s a curse. Kaye finds herself falling harder for this woman, and she doesn’t even know her real name. Kaye slides a little to left so that she can see the guy’s face when he’s inevitably put down.

When the guy takes too long to answer, Treasure spits out, “apanya?”

The guy visibly falters in the face of her wrath, but shoulders on, “Your employee was incredibly rude to me.”

“Well, what did you do?” Treasure asks.

“E-e-excuse me?”

“What. Did you. Do? Teddy here isn’t rude to just anybody, and she doesn’t do it without reason. So I’ll ask you again, what did you do?”

The guy is still spluttering and Treasure rolls her eyes once more.

“Let me put it like this, you see all those cups sitting on the counter behind me?” Treasure gestures behind her, accent growing heavier, “Those are drinks waiting to be made by two people instead of four people. You see those people behind you? Those are people waiting on one person to take their orders ‘stead of two.” Treasure raises an eyebrow at the guy, “You picking up what I’m putting down?”

The guy is slowly turning red in the face, “I do.”

“Alright then, so forgive me for not really giving a shit about Teddy hurting ya feelings when we’re bussing our asses trying to get these orders done. So either order something, or get the hell out of my café,” with that Treasure turns around and picks up another cup and starts making the order.

The guy quickly rattles off something much to the joy of TJ who happily reminds him to tip his barista before he steps to the side.

TJ smirks at Kaye when she steps up to the counter, “Hope you enjoyed the show.”

Kaye whistles lowly, “You could say that.”

“What can I get for you?”

Kaye rattles off her order and she pays, putting a ten in the tip jar before stepping off to find a seat in the crowded shop.

She lazily tracks Treasure as she bounces from grabbing a cup off the counter to making whatever is on the cup. Treasure only pauses long enough to push her wayward curls out of the way and take a quick sip of whatever is in her gigantic coffee cup.

Kaye gives a head nod to her coworker Anastasia when she also tumbles in through the doors of Caffeinated Fumes and continues scrolling through Twitter.

An irritated and confused, “Apa omong kosong ini?” draws Kaye out of her Twitter scroll as she looks up to see Treasure with a cup in her hand scowling at TJ.

Kaye huffs out a laugh when TJ responds with a dry, “A coffee order.”

She goes back to scrolling when Treasure doesn’t deign TJ with a response.

“Twenty ounce, non-fat, no-foam, no water,” Kaye perks up at the beginning of her long memorized order and pockets her phone as she starts making her way to the counter.

“Six pump, extra hot, chai tea latte for Lord Voldemort,” Treasure finishes and Kaye stumbles in her step at the name. 

One because that’s not the name she told TJ. Two, did my soul mate really just compare my coffee order to the Dark Lord?

_I just might believe in a God_. Kaye stands gaping like a fish at Treasure while her brain tries to process the revelation.

She removes the lid from the cup on autopilot as she checks out this tiny barista. Up close Kaye can count the freckles scattered across Treasure’s face; there’s sixteen across her nose running up her forehead and cheeks. There are several piercings in Treasure’s ears, and two in her nose. Kaye smirks at the dinosaur tattoo that’s on the inside of Treasure’s wrist that matches the one on TJ’s.

When Kaye meets Treasure’s blue? brown? green? kaleidoscope eyes she’s surprised to see that fierceness from earlier directed at her, “Is there something wrong with your order?”

Kaye quickly shakes her head no and continues staring.

“Okay great, so unless you need something else?” Treasure trails off reaching for her own cup and taking a sip of it.

Kaye realizes she should probably say something instead of just staring at her.

Aiming for smooth Kaye opens her mouth, “Your hair looks like a poodle.”

Treasure’s eyes nearly bug out of her head before they narrow in anger as she throws her drink in Kaye’s face.

“Lauren Elizabeth!” TJ yells.

In her head, a voice that sounds suspiciously like Ash is laughing at her, Great job Commander.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!! Don't forget to leave kudos!
> 
> Translations:  
cretino - jerk (italian)
> 
> Saya tidak punya waktu untuk omong kosong ini.- I don't have time for this shit. (indonesian)
> 
> apanya - what? (indonesian)
> 
> Apa omong kosong ini? - What is this shit? (indonesian)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lauren mumbles petulantly under her breath.  
“I might have known you since we were divas in diapers but I still can’t understand you when you mumble, polpetto,” Teddy says

Lauren’s day started off great okay? Teddy and her gotten up to make themselves breakfast, the dogs were happily outside sun bathing after their three mile walk. Everything was going great, and then Lauren’s phone started ringing.

Melanie had called her crying this morning, “Lo! I just got a call from my mom and my dad had a stroke!”

Lauren really had no choice but to give her the day off, and just deal with only having five girls manning the shop instead of the usual six. But then, her phone had just kept ringing, one after the other Paighton, Daisia, Morgan, Charlie and Victoria called out with some form of emergency; which left Lauren with no choice but to play barista for the day alongside Hanna. She couldn’t call in any of her other employees because they were high school students, and worked strictly nights or they were part-time with other jobs.

“Fuck!” Lauren curses letting her head fall on the kitchen table, “Un-be-fucking-lievable!”

“What’s wrong _polpetto_?” Teddy asks her from where she’s fiddling with the coffee machine.

“I have to play barista today, instead of doing paperwork like I was planning. Hanna is going to be the only one there.”

“Paighton, Daisia and Morgan called out as well? Wow, what a cluster-fuck waiting to happen.”

“Yup, the twins too. Also, thanks for that vote of confidence Teddy, it’s much appreciated,” Lauren frowns at her best friend.

“I’m just saying, you and Hanna, no matter how much the two of you claim to be bad asses, cannot handle that crowd of coffee addicts by yourselves. There’s a reason you started staffing six at a time instead of four. You and Whole Latte Love are the only two coffee shops, other than the world’s shittiest Starbucks, on this side of town.”

“Am I the only coffee shop without a pun? I feel cheated.”

“You kind of are, but let me say this; when you get home tonight, I’ll have a bath and dinner waiting okay? You’re one hundred and ten percent going to be exhausted and possibly even dead on your feet,” Teddy says.

Lauren suddenly perks up with an idea, “Hey Teddy baby, light of my life, peanut butter to my red plum jelly and most importantly my best-,”

Teddy cuts her off with a swipe of her hand, “Let me stop you there before you embarrass yourself, hell no. I need to stay ahead of that dick-wad Mason in my research before he does something stupid like try and upstage me. Plus, I haven’t made coffee for anyone but you since our college days.”

“But Teddy, I believe in you. Hanna! Hanna and I believe in you. In fact, the world believes in you. And! And!” Lauren hurries to add before Teddy cuts her off again, “You don’t have to make the orders! You can just put them in! Me and Hanna can play chicken, running around making the orders and keep the café clean.”

Teddy stares Lauren down silently, and Lauren fidgets in her seat while she waits. Teddy takes a slow sip of her coffee, “On three conditions.” Lauren nods her head rapidly.

“One, you need to hire at least three more employees, preferably not in school, to be on full-time so that you can call them when you need to.”

“Done,” Lauren says immediately.

“Two, and strictly non-negotiable, I get to pick what sweets go in the display case,”

“But, I made two red velvet cakes and lemon bars last night. And I’m pretty sure today was Hanna’s day to bring something.”

“Like I’m going to deprive the people of you and Hanna’s baking. I choose everything else though,” Teddy slowly makes her way over to the chair Lauren is sitting in.

“And your third?”

Teddy drops down to a squat in front of Lauren, “We’re going to laser tag this weekend.”

“Teddy what the fuck?” Lauren asks.

The smile Teddy flashes at her is nothing but pure mischief, “Yup, now go get dressed buttercup.” Teddy stands quickly slapping Lauren’s thighs in the process.

Lauren nods, “Will you put the cakes in the carriers?”

Teddy shoots finger guns at Lauren, as she turns and heads back towards the bedroom.

Okay, we’re playing barista today. Which means comfy shoes, and jeans. Lauren pulls out a pair of skinny jeans, her red converse, and a black t-shirt.

After she showers Lauren works on getting her mess of curls into a bun so that it’s out of her face for the day.

“Come on curls, work with me here,” Lauren mutters to herself as her hair keeps escaping from it’s bun. When she finally gets her hair into a parody of neatness, she just rolls her eyes at the few curls that won’t do what they’re told.

Foundation, eyebrows, mascara and keep it pushing. We are not doing a full beat today! Lauren chides herself in the mirror. Quickly doing her makeup, she detours and adds winged eyeliner, then calls herself good and puts on her outfit of the day.

“You ready to go yet?” Lauren calls slipping into her shoes.

“Uh, almost! Let the children back in will you? I hear Tuesday scratching at the door! You know she’s moody!” Teddy shouts back.

Lauren grabs her phone, and a small backpack from the closet before she starts throwing stuff in it, going through her mental checklist; portable charger, wall charger, chap stick, lotion, meds, backup hearing aids, iPad and inhaler.

Lauren slings the bag over her shoulder, and turns the light off in her room before she goes to the kitchen to let the dogs back in.

Tuesday, the Golden-doodle, is staring at her, and Lauren swears if dogs could talk Tuesday would have a few choice words for Lauren. Tuesday hates being outside for long periods of time, unless of course, it’s in the winter and she gets to play in the snow. Smallville, Lauren’s German shepherd service dog, is lazily lying out in the sun paying no attention to Tuesday’s antics.

Lauren whistles sharply, and Smallville comes trudging in behind Tuesday, “The demons are back in the house! Her Highness has an attitude today!”

Lauren grabs Smallville’s harness from the back of the chair in the kitchen and straps him in, “You ready to be a good boy today?” She checks Smallville’s harness pockets for her extra meds, batteries for her hearing aids, and snacks for him and herself.

Smallville gives a soft bark in response and Lauren scratches him behind his ears.

“Almost ready!” Teddy calls from her room.

Lauren sets to making sure the dogs have their water and food bowls filled.

“I gave the demons food. Move your ass Teddy!” Lauren shouts grabbing the cake carriers and pans of lemon bars and heading towards her Tahoe.

She opens the passenger door and Smallville hops in after he drops his pillow at Lauren’s feet, “You got dressed first, so you get shot gun,” Lauren coos at him. She puts the carriers in the backseat alongside her bag and hops in the drivers seat.

Teddy finally comes down the front stairs and eyes Smallville, “Why is the beast in the front seat?”

“He called shot gun.”

“No! Nope, what the fuck?”

“Yes, what the fuck. I told you to hurry up. Get in the back, he beat you fair and square.”

“This is a load of shit and I object,” Teddy stomps to the back seat and then starts kicking the back of Lauren’s seat as Lauren pulls out of the driveway.

“Don’t make me pull this vehicle over young lady,” Lauren mocks.

~~

When they pull into the parking lot of Caffeinated Fumes, Hanna is waiting at the front door with six boxes.

“Muffins?” Lauren asks and Hanna nods.

“Cake?” Hanna asks and Lauren nods.

“I made banana nut, chocolate chip and blueberry. Two hundred and fifty of each,” Hanna says stepping aside when Lauren unlocks the door.

“Oh good, I did red velvet cakes and lemon bars.”

“You ready for the shit show?” Teddy asks.

“As ready as I’ll ever be. I started baking yesterday morning, and finished sometime around three a.m. so,” Hanna shrugs.

“I’m going to put the biscuits in the oven. Hanna go ahead and start the coffee, make four tins. We’ll put it on the side for people who just order a regular coffee. Teddy put the desserts in the display case. Smallville, go lay down on your bed.”

“And break!” Hanna claps her hands.

They all set to getting the café prepared for the day. Lauren puts eight racks of biscuits and cinnamon rolls in the oven at Teddy’s demanding while she prepares another ten racks for later.

“Open in ten!” Teddy calls.

“Coffee is done!” Hanna yells from the front.

“And biscuits are done!” Lauren shouts sealing the lid on her massive coffee cup.

“Okay let’s pray for a second,” Lauren laughs. “We are bad asses and we can handle a bunch of fellow coffee addicts.”

“Damn straight we can!” Teddy cheers.

Hanna goes to open the door while Lauren takes the rest of the chairs off the table. Hanna and Lauren take their places behind the counter and Teddy goes behind the register.

“We got this,” Lauren whispers to herself and to Hanna who nods along.

~~

An hour later, Lauren regrets opening her mouth. There was a line out the door, and about fifteen cups lining the counter. Lauren stops between every ten orders to make sure the dining area stayed clean that the coffee urns were full, and rotating the biscuits out of the display case. Lauren and Hanna both alternate between pulling shots, steaming milk, and using the blender for iced drinks.

Teddy’s irritated voice briefly cuts through the fog of Lauren’s ministrations of making coffees and calling names.

She ignores it, figuring Teddy would handle it.

“Oh Bean!” Teddy singsongs. “Someone wants to talk to the owner!”

“Are you serious right now Teddy?” Lauren asks. _“Saya tidak punya waktu untuk omong kosong ini.”_

“Hey, he wants the owner. I’m just a lowly employee,” Teddy sasses her.

Lauren rolls her eyes and starts muttering under her breath in her native tongue.

She smiles tightly when she gets to the counter the one that screams, ‘I’m pissed off, you should be running’, “How can I help you sir?” She feels like she’s about to start foaming at the mouth.

“_Apanya?”_ Lauren snaps when the man continues gaping at her.

“Your employee was incredibly rude to me,” the man explains.

“Well, what did you do?” Lauren asks.

“E-e-excuse me?”

“What. Did you. Do? Teddy here isn’t rude to just anybody, and she doesn’t do it without reason. So I’ll ask you again, what did you do?”

The guy starts stammering again and Lauren is honestly fed up with this day and frankly with this man.

“Let me put it like this, you see all those cups sitting on the counter behind me?” Lauren turns and points, “Those are drinks waiting to be made by two people instead of four people. You see those people behind you? Those people are waiting to be served by one person instead of two people.” Lauren raises an eyebrow. “You picking up what I’m putting down?”

The guy is red in the face by now, “I do.”

“Alright then, so forgive me for not really giving a shit about Teddy hurting your feelings when were bussing our asses trying to get these orders done. So,” Lauren claps her hands once. “Either order something, or get the hell out of my café.” With that said Lauren turns and picks up another cup to start another order.

“Nicely done Lo,” Hanna whispers.

“I was point five seconds away from slapping the shit out of him,” Lauren slams a new bag of espresso on the table.

“We’re all very proud of your restraint,” Hanna snorts.

Lauren waves her off, “Go check the tables and the urns you doof.”

She continues making coffee orders in between drinking from her latte.

Lauren and Hanna get through a few more coffee orders before Lauren comes up short reading what’s on the label.

_What the fuck?_

“_Apa omong kosong ini?”_ Lauren shouts at Teddy.

“A coffee order,” Teddy dryly responds not bothering to look up from the computer screen.

“Of all the weird ass, complicated ass orders I’ve ever had this shit just had to come up on the day I have no fucking patience for it. Who the fuck wants a chai tea latte with no foam and no water?” Lauren viciously mutters under her breath making the drink.

Lauren squints at the cup, _Whoever the fuck you are ‘Kaye’, I hope you lose all of your left shoes and all your right shoelaces. _

“I swear to God, if this shit person says it’s wrong I’m starting a fucking riot and then proceed to have fucking kittens,” Lauren tells Hanna as she walks to the counter.

“Twenty-ounce non-fat, no-foam, no water, six pump, extra hot chai tea latte for Lord Voldemort,” Lauren grits out.

_Well hello Tall, Dark and Gorgeous_ Lauren thinks as the woman walks up the counter. Lauren briefly checks this ‘Kaye’ out. She’s wearing dark purple scrubs and her hair is in a neat bun at the top of her head.

When Lauren realizes Kaye is still standing in front of her she snaps out, “Is there something wrong with your order?”

Kaye’s eyes widen briefly before she shakes her head and continues to stare.

“Okay, great. So unless you need something else?” Lauren trails off and reaches for her coffee cup.

Kaye’s mouth opens and closes a few times before she blurts out, “Your hair looks like a poodle.”

_Son of a bitch_ Lauren thinks and before she’s realizes it, her latte is all over Kaye’s person. Smallville lets out a startled bark when a little bit of the latte lands on him.

“Lauren Elizabeth!” Teddy yells from the register and Lauren cringes away from the tone.

“Bean, oh my God!” Hanna shouts.

“She said my hair looks like a poodle!” Lauren defends herself.

“And what did you do to prompt it?” Teddy asks sounding giddy.

Lauren mumbles petulantly under her breath.

“I might have known you since we were divas in diapers but I still can’t understand you when you mumble, _polpetto_,” Teddy says.

“I called her Lord Voldemort,” Lauren sighs.

“You don’t even like Harry Potter!” Teddy and Hanna shout and Lauren shrugs.

“So you called me Lord Voldemort because?” A quiet voice trails off.

Lauren turns to face her, “Well I just figured the name fit with that magic potion you had me put in that cup.” Lauren sasses her soul mate.

“Yeah, I hate to break this up but we still have orders to take care of,” Hanna interrupts.

_Oh yeah, I am at work,_ Lauren thinks. “Will you wait? Just until the breakfast rush is over?” Lauren asks quietly.

“Yeah, of course. I’m just going to pop over to the hospital and change of clothes and I’ll come back okay?” Kaye says.

Lauren nods quickly and watches as Kaye walks away.

“I can’t believe you called your soul mate Lord Voldemort,” Hanna whispers.

“I can’t believe my soul mate said my hair looked like a poodle because she was shell shock,” Lauren says back.

“Believe it!” Teddy calls.

“Blue is my favorite color, but I think your hair might be my new favorite shade,” a voice in front of Teddy says and Lauren freezes, recognizing the words.

“You smooth son of a bitch. I knew you were going to say it but I still wasn’t prepared,” Teddy breathes out.

“Hi,” the girl blushes.

“Tatiana, but everyone calls me TJ,” Teddy says.

“Anastasia, they call me AJ.” AJ replies.

“Look at us having similar initials,” Teddy smirks.

“Hey! If I can’t chat up my soul mate, neither can you!” Lauren shouts.

“Good news is that Kaye is my best friend so we’ll be seeing each other a lot Bean,” AJ says to Lauren as she steps to the side.

Lauren smiles at her as she continues making coffee orders.

~~~

Another forty-five minutes later, the breakfast rush has died down. The café is a mess, to say the least. When Lauren looks around she sees Kaye and AJ have sat near each other and having a quiet conversation.

“I told you, you would find your soul mate immediately after I’ve found mine,” Lauren teases Teddy folding her arms over her chest.

“Oh hush up you, I still can’t believe you called your soul mate Lord Voldemort,” Teddy teases back.

“She deserved it,” Lauren crosses her arms over her chest.

“No one deserves to be compared to the Dark Lord _polpetto_,” Teddy argues.

“You ready to meet your soul mate properly?” Lauren asks changing the subject.

“Are you?” Teddy sasses back.

Lauren responds by walking over to where Kaye is sitting, and plopping down in front of her, “Hi.”

“Hello,” Kaye says back.

“Lauren Hale, everyone calls me Lo and a lot of other things but mostly Lo,”

“Katarzyna Zakowski – “

“Bless you,” Lauren says.

Kaye mock glares at her, “Funny, I got coined Kaye in third grade when I had enough of teachers mispronouncing my name.”

“Zakowski, huh? That’s polish?” Lauren asks sitting up right in her chair.

“Yup, we moved here when I was nine.” Kaye says.

“So, tell me about yourself?” Lauren leans forward.

“Well um, I’m thirty-three, my birthday is in October. I have a younger sister Zofia, and three cats. I’m currently on Reserves with the U.S. Marines but I work at Phoenix Hospital I’m the Head of the Trauma Department there. I like to play the guitar?”

Lauren nods along, “Okay. I’m twenty-nine, my birthday is in December. I have two older brothers and two dogs. My family is from Texas. I own Caffeinated Fumes, I can play the majority of the string section, and the piano. I also making singing videos on YouTube.”

“What’s your favorite instrument in the string section?”

“The cello,” Lauren responds immediately. “What do you do in the Marines?”

“I’m a combat medic with a whole lot of power.”

Lauren hums.

“Okay so basically, there’s five people who report directly to me. We all make up BRAVO Team, if we have to come in that means shit is going down. I’m the Commanding Officer, and JB is my second, Ty, Ash, Lindsey and H are like our backup, but don’t tell them that I called them that they get sensitive if they don’t feel like they’re being appreciated.”

Lauren laughs, “Understood. Do I get to meet them?”

“If you want? Who are all of your friends?”

Lauren gestures towards Teddy, “Teddy and I have been friends basically since the womb. Then there’s JD, and Klarke.”

“Is your JD a Jessica by chance?”

“No, she’s a Jenna why?”

“No reason, I just like to know what people’s initials are. JB is a Jessica,” Kaye shrugs.

“So, I have an idea for you to meet all of my friends? And then we can do something where I meet all of yours?” Lauren asks hesitantly.

“Shoot.”

“So every third Friday, a.k.a two days from now, we all get together and reek havoc of one of our living rooms, this month it’s mine. We have pizza, and watch old slasher films. My pick this time is the Friday of the 13th series as much as we can get through in two days anyways. Pack a bag and bring your appetite, yeah?”

“Sounds fun, I’m definitely in.”

“Great!” Lauren beams.

Then her and Teddy switch seats.

Lauren lands in front of AJ with a narrowed eye look, “So, you’re my best friends soul mate.”

“And you’re mine,” AJ states back.

“I don’t know if Teddy told you this, but every third Friday our friend group gets together to watch movies and eat pizza. You and Kaye are invited and we’ll go from there.”

“I’ll be there,” AJ says.

“Of course you will that wasn’t an option. Now for the shovel talk. I’ve known Teddy since the womb; so know that if you hurt her I will make your body disappear,” Lauren smiles widely.

“Understood,” AJ swallows thickly. “Can I ask a question?”

“Just the one.”

“Why do you call her Teddy, when she told me her name is Tatiana?”

“Four year old Lauren could not grasp Tatiana, way too many syllables. She had a teddy bear named Blue hidden in her backpack, so I started calling her Teddy. Same goes for why she calls me meatball in Italian, young Teddy could not say her r’s. Mom used to make homemade meatballs and drench them in barbeque sauce, and I brought them to school for lunch twice a week.” Lauren smiles softly lost in a memory.

“When did she pass?”

“Fifth grade, good ole’ breast cancer. Will you believe me if I told you she had beat it twice before?”

“Third times the charm huh? My dad died of lung cancer and he had never smoked a cigarette before in his life.”

“She’s a bitch like that.”

“Who?”

“Life.”

“Damn _polpetto_ you getting nostalgic already? Did you even give her the shovel talk?” Teddy butts in.

“Of course I did, and by the look on Kaye’s face you gave her one too.” Lauren responds.

“You are terrifying,” Kaye mumbles.

“Thank you,” Lauren and Teddy chime together.

Lauren stands and then pushes Teddy to as well, “We have to clean up the shop but I’ll text you the address for the shenanigans, yeah?” Lauren holds out her hand for Kaye’s phone.

With quick fingers Lauren saves her number in Kaye’s phone as _Khaleesi_ and hands it back, “See you on Friday.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
polpetto = meatball in Italian  



End file.
